Im back with more
So I hoped people took a look at my first AI post for a DH rework, mind you this is jsut an AI so apologies for any misinterpretations, these posts are simply throwing ideas out there to the Devs if any exist for Demon Hunters to possibly incorporate a Third Spec into the Demon Hunter Tool Kit. Please note that this third spec is solely based off what I read in the forums, players wanting a specific Ranged DPS spec, other wanting a healer spec which just doesnt make sense for a DH. So take it with a grain of salt.
This is going to to be a full over view of this spec and something fun to do considering, we have nothing to lose at this point. So enjoy!
New Demon Hunter Specialization: Sentinel
Role: Ranged DPS
Armor Type: Leather
Primary Resource: Focus (similar to Fury/Pain, but designed for ranged gameplay)
Combat Style: Agile ranged DPS focusing on precise strikes, shadowy constructs, and battlefield control inspired by Wardens.
Overview
The Sentinel Demon Hunter draws inspiration from the Wardens, elite night elf fighters known for their ranged glaive attacks, stealth, and shadowy magic. This spec introduces a unique ranged playstyle to the Demon Hunter class, offering a balance of high mobility, sustained damage, and crowd control.
Core Themes
- Ranged Glaive Combat: Utilize ranged glaive throws, ricochets, and shadowy constructs to deal damage.
- Shadow Manipulation: Create shadowy zones, traps, and constructs for damage and control.
- Mobility and Precision: Maintain high movement while delivering precise, high-damage abilities.
- Warden-Like Tools: Incorporate abilities inspired by Wardens, such as ranged glaive throws, stealth, and magical traps.
Resource: Focus
- Generated through abilities like Shadow Toss and Glaive Barrage.
- Spent on high-impact abilities like Shadowstorm Glaive and Sentinel Strike.
Core Abilities
1. Shadow Toss (Generator)
- Throw a glaive infused with shadow magic at the target, dealing damage and generating 15 Focus.
- Passive: If the glaive hits an additional enemy (via talents or positioning), generate an extra 5 Focus.
- Rationale: A core builder that rewards precision and positioning.
2. Glaive Barrage (AoE Generator)
- Hurl a barrage of glaives in a cone, dealing damage to all enemies in the area and generating 10 Focus per enemy hit (up to 3 enemies).
- Rationale: Provides AoE generation and synergizes with cleave encounters.
3. Shadowstorm Glaive (Focus Spender)
- Launch a shadowy glaive that ricochets between up to 5 enemies, dealing increased damage with each bounce. Consumes 30 Focus.
- Rationale: Signature ranged attack with powerful AoE capabilities.
5. Warden’s Shroud (Utility)
- Envelop yourself in shadows, granting stealth for 8 seconds. Your next Shadow Toss deals double damage and reduces its target’s movement speed by 50% for 4 seconds.
- Rationale: Provides a nod to the Wardens’ stealthy nature and a utility tool for disengaging or initiating combat.
6. Shadow Traps (Utility and Control)
- Place up to 3 traps on the ground. Traps trigger when enemies step on them, dealing shadow damage and rooting them for 3 seconds.
- Rationale: Adds battlefield control and complements the Sentinel’s ranged playstyle.
7. Vengeance Veil (Defensive Cooldown)
- Surround yourself with shadow magic, reducing all damage taken by 30% for 10 seconds and granting immunity to crowd control effects.
- Rationale: Provides a reliable defensive cooldown for survival.
8. Mark of the Warden (Cooldown Ability)
- Mark your target with a sigil of shadow, increasing your damage to that target by 20% for 10 seconds.
- Rationale: Adds a burst damage cooldown for priority targets.
Talents and Synergies
1. Ricochet Mastery (Passive Talent)
- All glaive-based abilities have a 30% chance to hit one additional target for reduced damage.
2. Shadow Construct (New Ability Talent)
- Summon a shadowy copy of yourself to fight for 8 seconds, mimicking 50% of your glaive attacks.
3. Warden’s Fury (Passive Talent)
- Your critical strikes reduce the cooldown of Shadow Strike by 1 second and increase its damage by 10%, stacking up to 3 times.
4. Cloak of Nightfall (Defensive Talent)
- While Warden’s Shroud is active, you take 15% less damage, and your movement speed is increased by 20%.
5. Shadow Barricade (Utility Talent)
- Placing a Shadow Trap also grants you a shadowy shield, absorbing damage equal to 10% of your maximum health for 6 seconds.
Gameplay Style
- Single-Target Priority: Build Focus with Shadow Toss and unleash devastating Sentinel Strikes.
- AoE Dominance: Utilize Glaive Barrage and Shadowstorm Glaive to handle multiple targets effectively.
- Control and Utility: Use Shadow Traps and Warden’s Shroud to maintain control over the battlefield and reposition as needed.
- High Mobility: Mobility and precise positioning are key to maximizing glaive ricochets and maintaining optimal damage.
Sentinel Demon Hunter: Glaive Dance
For the Sentinel Demon Hunter, Blade Dance is replaced by a unique ability called Glaive Dance, designed to complement the ranged, agile playstyle of the spec while incorporating its thematic focus on glaive mastery and shadowy manipulation.
Glaive Dance (Focus Spender)
- Cost: 40 Focus
- Cooldown: 12 seconds
- Effect:
Launch a swirling storm of glaives at your target’s location, dealing Shadowfrost damage to all enemies within an 8-yard radius over 4 seconds. Enemies struck are slowed by 30% for the duration. - Additional Effects:
- Shadow Imprint (Passive): Enemies hit by Glaive Dance take 10% increased damage from your glaive abilities for 8 seconds.
- Soul Fragment Generation: Generates 1 Soul Fragment per enemy hit (up to 5).
Rationale:
- Area of Effect: Glaive Dance serves as a powerful AoE ability, making the Sentinel Demon Hunter excel in multitarget situations.
- Control: The slow effect provides utility for managing enemies, keeping them grouped and easier to handle.
- Synergy: The Shadow Imprint debuff enhances overall glaive-based damage output, creating a smooth flow in the rotation by encouraging Shadowstorm Glaive and Glaive Barrage usage after Glaive Dance.
- Soul Fragment Generation: Improves survivability and resource management, rewarding players for hitting multiple targets effectively.
Glaive Dance Synergies (Talents)
1. Echoing Swirl (Talent)
- Glaive Dance now leaves a lingering shadow vortex for 4 seconds after it ends, dealing 10% of the original damage per second to enemies who remain in the area.
2. Warden’s Momentum (Talent)
- Every time Glaive Dance hits 3 or more enemies, its cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds.
3. Vortex Mastery (Talent)
- Increases the radius of Glaive Dance by 2 yards, and enemies hit by the ability are additionally rooted for 2 seconds.
Gameplay Integration:
For the Sentinel Demon Hunter, Glaive Dance provides a satisfying and thematic replacement for Blade Dance. It fits seamlessly into the spec’s focus on ranged glaive combat, offering impactful damage, crowd control, and resource generation. By emphasizing AoE utility and synergy with other glaive-based abilities, Glaive Dance ensures Sentinels maintain a unique identity within the Demon Hunter class while delivering an engaging and rewarding playstyle.
Shadow Strike: Sentinel Demon Hunter Replacement for Chaos Strike
Shadow Strike is a reimagined core ability for the Sentinel Demon Hunter, replacing Chaos Strike. This ability embraces the Sentinel’s identity as a ranged and shadow-infused glaive specialist, offering flexibility in both single-target and multitarget combat scenarios.
Shadow Strike (Focus Spender)
- Cost: 35 Focus
- Cooldown: None (Global Cooldown)
- Effect: Hurl a shadowy glaive at your target, dealing Shadowfrost damage.
- Primary Target: The glaive deals increased damage to the primary target.
- Cleave: The glaive then chains to up to 2 additional enemies within 8 yards, dealing 50% less damage to secondary targets.
- Soul Fragment Interaction: Consumes a nearby Soul Fragment to deal an additional 10% damage and reduce the Focus cost by 10.
Additional Passive Effects:
- Shadow Infusion: If Shadow Strike critically hits, it grants Shadow Infusion, increasing your critical strike chance by 5% for 6 seconds (stacks up to 3 times).
- Void Residue: Enemies hit by Shadow Strike are marked with Void Residue, increasing the damage they take from Shadowstorm Glaive and Glaive Dance by 5% for 6 seconds.
Rationale:
- Single-Target and Cleave: Shadow Strike is a versatile ability that excels in both single-target and cleave scenarios, making it a strong foundational part of the rotation.
- Resource Interaction: The synergy with Soul Fragments ensures the ability feels rewarding when fragments are consumed, offering a layer of resource management to enhance gameplay.
- Critical Strike Synergy: The Shadow Infusion buff adds depth to the rotation, rewarding players for chaining crits and timing bursts effectively.
- AoE Utility: The Void Residue debuff encourages synergy with other glaive-based abilities, enhancing multitarget damage potential.
Shadow Strike Synergies (Talents)
1. Warden’s Precision (Talent)
- Increases Shadow Strike’s chance to critically strike by 10% and reduces its cleave penalty to 30%.
2. Echoing Shadows (Talent)
- Shadow Strike now ricochets to 2 additional targets (4 total) and applies a stacking Shadow Wound debuff, dealing 5% of Shadow Strike’s damage every second for 4 seconds.
3. Gloomfang Blades (Talent)
- If Shadow Strike consumes a Soul Fragment, its cooldown is reduced by 0.5 seconds, and its primary target damage is increased by 15%.
Gameplay Integration:
Shadow Strike provides the Sentinel Demon Hunter with a core rotational ability that emphasizes its ranged, shadow-infused gameplay. It combines straightforward damage with strong synergies and utility, rewarding proper resource management, positioning, and crit-focused gameplay. By replacing Chaos Strike, it aligns with the spec’s identity and enriches the playstyle with engaging mechanics and thematic flair.
Avatar of Vengeance: New Ultimate for Demon Hunters
Replacing Metamorphosis, the Avatar of Vengeance ability draws inspiration from the Warcraft 3 Warden’s iconic ultimate, embodying shadowy retribution and deadly precision. This ultimate defines the Sentinel Demon Hunter’s apex power moment, combining overwhelming offensive capabilities with dynamic multitarget interactions.
Avatar of Vengeance (Ultimate Ability)
- Cooldown: 3 minutes
- Duration: 20 seconds
- Effect:
- Transform: Assume the form of Vengeance, summoning an Avatar of Vengeance that mirrors your abilities and attacks enemies within 30 yards.
- Primary Effects:
- Your Shadow Strike, Glaive Dance, and Shadowstorm Glaive abilities are empowered, dealing 25% increased damage and cleaving an additional 2 enemies.
- Enemies damaged by your abilities are afflicted with Warden’s Mark, increasing their damage taken by 10% for 6 seconds.
- Avatar of Vengeance:
- The Avatar spawns nearby and mimics your abilities at 50% effectiveness, prioritizing your primary target.
- Deals Shadow damage in an aura every 2 seconds to enemies within 8 yards.
Empowered Abilities During Avatar of Vengeance:
1. Shadow Strike (Empowered)
- Chains to 5 additional enemies, with cleave damage reduced to 20% instead of 50%.
- Critically striking enemies generates Focus equal to 15% of the damage dealt.
2. Glaive Dance (Empowered)
- Deals increased damage to all enemies and applies Void Residue to each hit, amplifying their damage taken from your abilities by an additional 5% (stacks up to 3 times).
- Has no cooldown during Vengeance.
3. Shadowstorm Glaive (Empowered)
- Gains increased range (+10 yards) and an additional shadow explosion upon impact, dealing 50% of its initial damage to all enemies in range.
Passive Bonuses During Avatar of Vengeance:
- Soul Fragment Mastery: All Soul Fragments within 30 yards are automatically absorbed when generated, granting an additional 5% haste for 3 seconds per fragment.
- Shadowborn Resilience: You take 15% less damage, and your movement speed is increased by 20% while Vengeance is active.
Rationale and Gameplay Goals:
- Ultimate Power Fantasy: Vengeance captures the Warcraft 3 Warden vibe with the Avatar of Vengeance and a high-impact, skillful damage window that rewards mastery of abilities.
- Synergy with Core Abilities: Each ability becomes significantly more impactful, promoting creative use of cooldowns and rotation for maximum output.
- Dynamic Multitarget Play: The cleaving and AoE mechanics ensure it shines in both single-target and multitarget situations, making Vengeance a versatile and rewarding ultimate.
- Thematic Flair: This ultimate aligns perfectly with the Sentinel Demon Hunter’s identity, blending shadowy aesthetics with destructive precision.
Talent Enhancements for Avatar of Vengeance:
1. Shadowbound Avatar (Talent)
- The Avatar of Vengeance now deals 100% of your ability damage instead of 50% and heals you for 10% of the damage it deals.
2. Veil of Shadows (Talent)
- While Avatar of Vengeance is active, all enemies within 30 yards are slowed by 20%, and your Shadowstorm Glaive applies Weakened Shadows, reducing enemy damage dealt by 5% for 8 seconds.
3. Relentless Vengeance (Talent)
- Each enemy hit by your abilities during Avatar of Vengeance increases its duration by 0.5 seconds, up to a maximum of 10 additional seconds.
3. Unyielding Fury (Talent)
Effect: Reduces the cooldown of Avatar of Vengeance by 60 seconds
Rationale: This talent becomes a must-have for Sentinel Demon Hunters, significantly improving their access to the ultimate ability in both defensive and offensive scenarios. It ensures Avatar of Vengeance remains a pivotal part of their toolkit in extended encounters and reinforces its importance in their playstyle.
Conclusion:
The Avatar of Vengeance ultimate defines the Sentinel Demon Hunter’s apex moment of power, blending devastating ranged and AoE damage with a summoned ally for maximum impact. Its ability empowerment and thematic connections to Warcraft 3 deliver a satisfying, impactful ability that rewards high skill and situational awareness.
Blink: New Mobility Ability for Demon Hunters
Replacing Fel Rush, Blink provides the Sentinel Demon Hunter with an iconic teleportation ability inspired by the Warcraft 3 Warden. This reimagining emphasizes precision movement, tactical repositioning, and skillful gameplay.
Blink (Core Mobility Ability)
- Cooldown: 10 seconds
- Range: 25 yards
- Effect: Instantly teleport to a targeted location within range.
- Upon arriving, unleash a burst of Shadow energy, dealing Shadow damage to enemies within 6 yards of the landing point.
- Generates 10 Focus for each enemy hit (maximum of 50 Focus per use).
Special Traits of Blink:
1. Precision Targeting:
- Blink can be used to teleport to any location within range, including through obstacles, making it ideal for dodging mechanics or pursuing enemies.
2. Shadow Burst (Passive Effect):
- Enemies hit by Blink’s Shadow energy are slowed by 30% for 4 seconds.
- If Blink damages at least 3 enemies, its cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds.
3. Talent Synergy:
- “Phase Shift” (Talent): After using Blink, you gain 30% damage reduction and 20% increased movement speed for 3 seconds.
- “Shadow Residual” (Talent): Enemies hit by Blink’s Shadow energy take 10% additional damage from your abilities for the next 6 seconds.
- “Voidstep” (Talent): Blink now leaves behind a shadow copy at your original location that lasts for 6 seconds, which explodes when struck by Shadowstorm Glaive, dealing AoE Shadow damage.
Rationale and Gameplay Goals:
- Tactical Movement: Blink allows players to engage or disengage with pinpoint accuracy, emphasizing smart positioning and mobility.
- Synergistic Gameplay: The Focus generation and debuff mechanics ensure that Blink isn’t just a movement tool—it’s a damage amplifier and resource generator.
- Skill Expression: Teleportation offers higher skill ceilings than linear dashes like Fel Rush, rewarding precision and timing.
- Thematic Resonance: Blink aligns with the shadowy, agile theme of the Sentinel Demon Hunter, creating a clear identity distinct from other Demon Hunter specializations.
Conclusion:
Blink transforms the Sentinel Demon Hunter’s mobility into a key element of gameplay. Its tactical depth and utility make it a perfect replacement for Fel Rush, creating opportunities for both offensive and defensive maneuvers while staying true to the Warden’s Warcraft 3 roots.
Demon Hunters Becoming Sentinels: A Lore Integration
After Legion, with the Burning Legion defeated and Illidan gone, Demon Hunters faced a crisis of purpose. Meanwhile, Wardens, led by Maiev Shadowsong, reflected on their past failures and sought to evolve. Recognizing their shared goal of protecting Azeroth, Maiev proposed training Demon Hunters as Sentinels—a new order blending Warden discipline with Illidari agility and power.
Key Points:
- Redemption and Control: Sentinels master Fel energy through shadow-infused Warden training, turning vengeance into discipline.
- Neutral Order: Sentinels serve beyond faction boundaries, defending Azeroth from emergent threats like Void-corrupted demons.
- New Abilities: Reflect a hybrid of Fel power and Warden shadow techniques (e.g., stealth, precision, and shadowy glaive attacks).
- Notable Figures:
- Maiev Shadowsong: Leads the initiative, seeking a disciplined force for future threats.
- Kor’vas Bloodthorn: A reluctant Illidari leader who becomes a symbol of change.
Creed:
- Control: Channel chaos into precision.
- Discipline: Balance agility with shadow techniques.
- Redemption: Fight for Azeroth, not vengeance.
This evolution gives Demon Hunters a new purpose while expanding their lore and gameplay with the Sentinel specialization, blending vengeance and protection.